Starting means for vapor electric devices.



F. CONRAD. STARTING MEANS FOR VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICES. APPLICATIDN manJAN-7| x911.

T5? liNZi CONRAD, OF SWISSVALE, PEITNSYLV fiiNTiil, ASSIG'NQIE, TO.'WESTIZNGHBUEE ELEGTRIC MANUEAGT'URING CDEZIEANY, A CUREE'ORATIUN UKPENNSYLVANIA.

lLfillllLlfign nneeific'stion of Letters Eatent.

lPolented Juice". di l flwlllllq Application. filed armory 2", 1911.Eerie! We, $013M.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that l, FRANK Genesis, e citi zen of the United States, anda resident of Swissveie, in the countv of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, and improvement in Starting Means for Vapor ElectricDevices of which the following; is o specification.

My invention relates to starting means for vapor electric devices, suchas current roctiflex-s and lamps, in which mercury is cm plcyed as avaporiznble electrode, and has for its object to providen'iezins'vvhereby a starting electrode may be moved into end. out ofengagement with the mercury or other vaporizable electrode, which meansshall be easing being; provided with, r;

end for th e wuslic accessible-for operation from the exterior oi therectifief casing Figure 1015 the accompanying drawing is a sectional.view through a part of emercury vapor rectifier that embodies myinvention, and, fl is a side view of certain of the operatively relatedparts for actuating the movable starting electrode.

The device in connection with which the present invention is employed ismercury vapor rectifier having; on iron or other suitable metalliccasing 1 upon which a cover 2 is tightly clumped, the top p rtion of thetapered 0i: rustoconical sent that is engaged by a corsoi'idingly shapedportion of the cover.

H .ighin the casing an insulating bowl or of porcelum cun- I-l that-issuitably composed and contains a body l oi mercury et quette any othersuitable material constituting o. veooriznblc electrode.

cover E3 is provided with e sleeve 5 having an interior tapered seat 6at its lower 1e reception of r correspondingly shaped exterior portionof an insulating lUllSllll'ig 7 that extends enough the cover and intothe chamber ithin the casing. The bushing 7 is secured. in the cover 2by means of n sleeve or nut'B that is serei into tie upner end offlchesleeve end oetweeu. which and a shoulder upon the bushing I, in).asbestos other slightly compressible washer 9 is interposeclw metalliewashers 10 being; locatedv above and below 2* for protecting the some.The

as e

asbestos h have invented a new her provides moons iJlEQIQlFy tlie'pre'ssuoe exerted by the out 8 is distributed substantially uniformlyupon the surtuco oil the shoulder on the bushing 7;

The bushing 7 is provided with on intwioi' tapered or frustoconical sent123 for the lower face of on ei'ilergement 13 oil a tubular iron member13 that 2 tends from near the top of the bushing 7,, through the some,and

into the chminl'icr within the cosine. Resting upon the shoulderprovided by the upper face of the enlargement 13 of the tubular mom-,ber 11% is an insulating sleeve 14: by means of which pressure istransmitted to the said. shoulder for 'it'orcing the tapered lower faceof the enlargement 18 of the member it? against the seat in the bushing'3. Pressure is applied to the sleeve 14% by means of a. tubular nut 16having an external screwthread engagement with o. bushing}; 17 that iscemented or otherwise secured in the upper end ot' the bushing 'i', anasbestos othev suitable slightly compressible Washer 18 and metallicWashers 19 being interposed between the nut 16 and the sleeve. i l.member 13 is also provided with an interior tapered or frustoconicszlseat 21 "for the reception of a correspondingly shaped it'ecc upon alocal enlsrsicment of ov rod that extends entirely through all of thesurrounding parts, the said rod bei pro ided, upon 1 ere. ployed forestablishing it good elcctricnl connection between the nut 16 and therod '3.

The parts above described are so as to provide spaces directly above then. where partsnr'e seated, the against the other, and the said spacesare filled or pv tieliy filled, with mereur v or any able material forrendering the joints anoreneerly vacuum tight than they o would be. Thetubular member i sleeve are provided with onertur. A permit mercur v toflow into all of the Sl'lilfififil between the adjacent parts, end thenut 16 The tubular il ll ill/i ii iii the said spaces.

provided rrith longitudinal passages through which mercury msy bepouredinto Une end of a lever is pivota to thelower end of the tubularmember 13 and from its other end is pivotally suspended 9. rod 31, uponthe lower free end of which is a. carbon or other suitable terminalmember 32 that constitutes a starting electrode end is adapted to bemoved into and out of the mercury i by rotation of the rod 932. Theunder side of the lever 8.0 is provided s roller that is disposedparallel to its longitudinal axis to engage 3. Cam 2-4 which. is rigidlymounted upon the lower'end of the rod 22. Rotation of the cam means ofthe knob 23 and the rod t es to raise and lower the lever 30 and, withit,'the rod 31 and terminalmember 32. "nae, rod 31 is gnided in itsvertical movement by means of an apertured bracket arm 35 that issecured to the lower end of the tiibul'er member 13.

in order to start the rectifying process Within the device, the knob 23is turned to cause the starting electrode 32 to be lowered into the.mercury e and to be subsequently withdrawn therefrom, whereupon an arcis prodnced which overcomes the negative electrode resistance andpermits the rectifying process to start. It will, of course, beunderstood that, during this operation, the terminals of a suitablesource of energy (not shown) are connected, respectively, to the'veporizable electrode 4 end the starting electrode 32. W hen therectifier is in operation, the starting electrode 3:2 occupies theposition shown. in full lines.

l. cinim as my invention:

1. lln a vapor electric device, the combination with an evacuatedcontainer, of a movable electrode therein, a member for manipulatingssid electrode and extending through My attached the wall of saidcontainer, and a seal having a total length of less than 760 millimetersfor providing a vacuum-tight joint between said member and the wall ofsaid container.

2. In a vapor electric device, the combination with a casing, of abushing extending into the casing, a tubular member seated in thebushing and extendingthrough the same into the casing, a rotatable rodseated in and extending through the tubular member, an electrode withinthe casing, and means associated with said tubular member and said rodwhereby rotation of thesaid rod raises and lowers the electrode.

3. In a vapor electric device, the combination with a casing, of abushing extending into the casing, a tubular member seated in thebushing and extending through the same into the casing, a rotatable rodseated in and extending through the tubular member, an electrode Withinthe casing, and means whereby rotation of the said rod raises and lowersthe electrode.

t. In a vapor electric device, the combination with a casing, of abushing extending into the casing, a tubular member seated in thebushing and extending through the same into the casing, means forforcing the tubular member upon the seat in the bilshing,

a. rotatable rod seated in and extending through the tubular member,means for resilie'ntly holding the rotatable rod to itssest in thetubular member, an electrode within the casing, and means" wherebyrotation of the said rod raises and lowers the electrode.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto iubscribed my name this 30th dayof Dec.,

FRANK CONRAD.

Witnesses A. W. Corner, B. B. Hmns.

